Journaling
“From an ayurvedic perspective, journaling is essentially mindfulness in action, since it gives us a chance to proactively and healthily process our emotions,” says Meera Watts, founder and CEO of Siddhi Yoga, a yoga, meditation, and ayurvedic training school based in Singapore.
I’ve been keeping dream journals for years. I also journal to collect my thoughts, maybe process ideas, and record possibilities for later perusal.
Since this is National Get Organized Week, I thought I would share how journaling my dreams has given me insights and a way to reflect on my growth process. Our world abounds in the types of journals and all kinds of organizational tools that include journals. I enjoy checking into what’s out there periodically.
Through these blogs, I share a lot about my latest book and eBook, Navigating Your Dream World. However, some of you may not know that the companion journal I created is now available on Amazon.
I learned the Lightning Dream Technique from Robert Moss while studying shamanic dreaming with him. This technique has several steps that I always share with my dream classes and clients.
When I worked on the book manuscript, I received an ahha message or feeling to create a companion journal. Since I use this process religiously, I wondered why I didn’t create a journal with a mapped-out Lightning Dream Technique years ago. Oh well, they say hindsight can be an incredible thing.
Why is this valuable? Many years ago, I worked with a meditation teacher I’ll call Brother Andrew. We worked on a problematic issue in one of my private sessions. He knew of my passion for dream recall and understanding and meditation work. After one particularly revealing session with him, he gave me this advice: record all dreams and meditation insights every day. Every two weeks, summarize them. About six months from now you will receive a dream showing you resolution. You know what? That happened as he predicted. I received a great dream that literally said: “Well done!”
There are many other benefits of recording nighttime dreams and even dreams of the heart.
- Venting and airing emotions allows you to process, identify patterns, and, most importantly, gain insights into yourself.
- We know that journaling helps reduce stress and relieve tension.
- Journaling can also be an effective way to organize your life. I often receive insights for my day, and I’ve learned to follow those intuitive hits. Do I work on this project or that one? Journaling helps us prioritize.
- Sometimes, we follow through more consistently when scheduling tasks.
- Did you know that the task of physically writing down uses the right and left brain functions and can make tasks and ideas more accessible to recall?
- Dream journals for me, are more reflective journals. I get to work on dream symbols more deeply and then try to tie them together into some understanding.
- Lastly, Navigating Your Dream World Journal allows you to record the entire process and end with a practical action step.
What are your favorite journal ideas that you use? I’d love to hear about them. In the meantime, give the organization some thought this week. Take out one of your previous journals and look at the past six months. What patterns do you see? What symbols jump out at you, maybe a new animal spirit connection? Enjoy the magic of new revelations.
Sweet Dreaming. Judith
Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN, Writer, Speaker, and Workshop Presenter, Master Gardener.
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